Crimson Ties
by Judanim
Summary: Events eighteen years ago in Kilika may connect Paine to a certain crimson clad, katana wielding guardian. Rated PG13 for now.
1. Kilika Port

Author's Note #1: All right, before we go anywhere with this story, I must say that I have NOT seen the "Perfect" ending or Gippal's Sphere, since they may or may not have anything to do with what you are about to read. So, if something doesn't seem right and you've seen those items, please either overlook it and blame it on my ignorance and lack of skill in the Gunner's Gauntlet and in Sphere Break (the two missions I missed, so I couldn't get 100 percent), or email me and tell me about it. Anyway, this story is (as you might've read in the summary) about Paine being Auron's daughter. Yes, I realize that the idea is nothing new, but I just want to see how this pans out. Who knows? Some good may come of it. Oh, and if any characters are OOC, I sincerely apoligize. I'm new at writing for FFX-2, even though I have quite a few FFX fics.

Author's Note #2: Oh, and for those who want to know what they're in for, here are the pairings: Paine/Baralai, Tidus/Yuna, Rikku/Gippal, and Auron/OC.

Disclaimer: I don't own jack-diddly-squat, all right? Yeesh, how many times do I have to tell you people?! -clears throat- Sorry for the outburst. Do carry on.

Crimson Ties  
by Judanim

Chapter One: _"Kilika Port"_

"Wow," Tidus said in awe. "It looks just like it did in the sphere you showed me, Yuna. This place really has changed." Then again, he wouldn't know a whole lot about it. The most he'd seen of Kilika Port was _after_ it'd been attacked by Sin, which wasn't all that much.

Yuna smiled. "Like I said before, you've missed a few things."

Kilika Port was bustling as always, filled with people going about their business. There was a sense of calm about it that the town had been robbed of since the whole Youth League/New Yevon thing had happened. Now that that was over, however, the place was back to normal. If anything in Spira could be called normal after experiencing Sin and Vegnagun, that is.

Behind Yuna and Tidus were Rikku and Paine, the former smiling at the couple, the latter simply brooding. Gippal and Baralai had tagged along as well after getting a call from Rikku. Besides that, they also wanted to meet this new guy. So far, Gippal approved of him, but Baralai wasn't so sure. It wasn't his personality or anything. He just was reminded of Shuyin whenever he looked at him, which of course didn't bring back the fondest of memories.

"Let's go take a look around the town!" Tidus exclaimed, running forward. Yuna quickly followed him. Rikku giggled and grabbed Gippal. Only Paine and Baralai remained on the dock next to the Save Sphere.

"Are you sure he's with Yuna? He's seems more suited for Rikku," Baralai commented, giving her a small smile.

"I think Rikku's too preoccupied trying to figure out how to ask Gippal out to even begin to notice Tidus," Paine replied, only allowing the smallest remnants of a smile to cross her face.

Baralai turned and watched the two blonde Al Bhed youths for a moment. "You have a point." With all the happiness around them, it didn't take him a long time to notice that the smile on Paine's face didn't last long. In fact, it had probably disappeared right after he turned away. "Paine? What's wrong?"

Before the gray haired warrior could even start to give him a glare that meant she definitely wasn't answering the question, some children from the village recognized Baralai and ran up to the two, most pulling on his pants or the ends of his jacket. He looked at his old friend apologetically as he was practically carried away by the little ones. Paine watched the scene with decided indifference. Even though they'd reconnected after the whole thing with Vegnagun (as the entire former members of the Crimson Squad had), she still felt there was some strange, unspoken distance between them. It was probably the wall she'd put up around herself after what happened in the Den of Woe. Even her best friends couldn't penetrate it.

"Paine! Are you coming?" Yuna called from further up the docks.

With a sigh and a glance at Baralai, Paine went forward to meet up with the rest of YRP.

"Dr. P, you gotta learn to walk a little faster," Gippal joked.

Paine only nodded and looked around the town as the others went ahead. Tidus had been right; the place _did_ look different, but to her it had a whole other meaning.

* * *

Eighteen years earlier, Kilika Port was a much different place. Sure, it was still a bustling town filled with its own comings and goings, but now it was still a town living in the shadow of Sin, like every other city in Spira. That was only the figurative differences. The physical look of the town was quite different as well. Not like it made any difference. 

The warrior monks in Bevelle had received a distress call from Kilika Temple, saying something to the effect that the temple had a fiend problem. The Crusaders were preparing for their annual meet with Sin in Djose, so the maesters had to send out warrior monks who usually guarded the Palace of St. Bevelle. Auron was one of those guards.

He had only joined the ranks months before, and was regarded as an inexperienced rookie (being only nineteen), but he was quickly showing any doubters that he was indeed a skilled fighter. No fiend stood a chance against him. The only "problem" he was currently having involved the damned Kilikan humidity and his heavy warrior monk armor.

"Couldn't the fiends have picked a better location?" he muttered, swatting away a mosquito. It's not like he had to worry about, though. The metal plates surrounding his shoulders and torso would ward off any hungry insects.

His friend Wen Kinoc laughed. The man was short and rather chubby, not really fit to be either a warrior monk or Crusader, but he still fought anyway. "You know, if they stocked every other temple with warrior monks the way they stock Bevelle, then nothing like this would ever happen."

Auron had to smirk. "If they did that, then every able-bodied youth in Spira would be a warrior monk, guarding the temples. Sin would have a field day."

Kinoc let out another carefree laugh. "Well, when you're right, you're right."

A commander from another unit called over to them. "The fiends seem to be coming from the midst of the jungle. They're mostly wasps, but we do have a couple plant ones."

"Any elementals?" Auron asked warily. The warrior monks were short on mages.

"None yet," the commander replied. "Let's get moving. Make sure you've got a sensor locked into one of your weapons. It'll help you see the fiends before they come at you."

Both Kinoc and Auron nodded. Auron exchanged his normal katana for his Hunter's Blade, knowing it would be more useful in a situation like this. Kinoc held his pathetic sword close to him, but even then had a flamethrower and a gun situated on his back. The taller man just shook his head. Nearly everyone within the ranks knew of Yevon's hypocrisy when it came to machina, but sometimes it was ridiculous how much some actually depended on it. Then again, the people of Bevelle didn't easily give up their ways, and that included ancient and destructive machina.

Kinoc turned to him, the look in his eyes seeming to ask, "What?"

Auron only chuckled as the nearby commander began yelling out orders. The units then set out through the town to the jungle. When they reached the verdant woodland, they realized that they were definitely in over their heads.

"Holy crap!" Kinoc yelled. "The place is swarming with fiends!"

And for once, the shorter man wasn't lying. Wasp fiends were everywhere, buzzing in and out of every tree. Auron knew this breed, and it wasn't exactly his favorite fiend to deal with. Killer Bees were not fun, especially when trying to hit them with a katana as big as his. Now he was kind of grateful that many warrior monks used guns; that would make the going a lot easier. That's not to say, though, that it wouldn't be long and laborious work.

Most of the men began firing at the fiends. Some were using flamethrowers, while the rest were using the standard-issue warrior monk rifles. Auron could only wonder: What happens when they run out of ammo?

A Ragora showed up, and since most of the guys on flamethrowers were occupied, Auron went after that one. The plant fiend let rip its special attack, Seed Cannon, right before he got his first shot in. He hated it when fiends gained the upper hand, especially against him. The attack hurt him, but not enough to stop him for the time being. He ran forward with every ounce of agility he had and quickly brought down his katana, slicing the walking plant in two. Pyreflies went everywhere.

A satisfied grin crossed his face, idly watching the little balls of energy float to the sky. He knew that he was in the middle of a really bad battle, but for some reason he just stood there, grinning like an idiot who just figured out how a sword worked. Just as his guard came back up, a Killer Bee came buzzing by and stung him in the back of the neck. A noxious odor filled his mouth, nose, and lungs, and after a few moments, he fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

* * *

The sudden swarming of fiends around the temple had shed light on the alarming shortage of healers in Kilika. There were only three that actually lived on the island. Any others that were there at the moment came from Besaid or were warrior monks who knew a little white magic. Either way, it was nowhere near enough to satisfy the quota of injured soldiers and priests. 

One of those healers was a white mage called Althea. Her hair was black with natural streaks of silver, and it stretched all the way down her back. Her eyes were a brilliant garnet red, and what they surveyed at the moment wasn't pretty. Villagers who had volunteered to help were carrying warrior monks in, none of them in the best of conditions. Some had merely experienced an unusual drop in health because of the amount of fiends, while others had been poisoned by the Killer Bees. A couple spells or items usually cured this quickly, but with the high amount of injuries, the task seemed harder than it was.

"This isn't all of them," a young male voice said.

Althea turned to see a twelve-year-old boy standing not too far from her. It hurt her heart to see someone so young so serious. Sin robbed children of their innocence. "But there probably aren't many more. Think of it this way, Mep. This is a chance for you to perfect your Cure spell." She gave the boy a smile.

The words were of little comfort to him. He had lost his parents to Sin (as many did) because one was a Crusader, and the other was healer not too different from Althea. He had had dreams of becoming a blitzball star, but those dreams crashed on the day his parents died. So, he entered the ranks of the Yevon priesthood, finding some solace in the system. "I guess," Mep replied. "I hope I don't have to use Life. I'm not strong enough."

"Of course you are," Althea said. "Besides, it was just a bunch of wasps. They're nothing to the warrior monks." She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

Mep glumly nodded before going to a group of soldiers huddled together, all of which seemed to be in pretty bad shape.

Suddenly, a couple villagers came running up the steep temple steps carrying an unconscious warrior monk, no easy task. Althea helped them carry him in. "How bad is he?"

"We don't know. He's one of the last, but someone told us he was also one of the first to go down," one of the villagers said.

Althea cursed and quickly cast Scan. It wasn't a basic spell for white mages (actually it was more something for blue mages), but she learned it anyway. Guesswork wasn't something that should be part of a healer's job. The reading came up. The man was poisoned, and his health was low. She relayed the information to the villagers and asked them to find the commander of his unit. They split up across the temple courtyard.

Esuna was the first spell she used on the man, knowing it was best to alleviate the status effect first. Then, she cast Curaga to restore most of his health. He was still unconscious.

A warrior monk who looked like a commander walked up to her. "Is he going to be all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, as soon as he wakes up. The wasp must've gotten him good, because not even Curaga has moved him," Althea replied. "You his commander?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. He's a rookie, but he usually never lets down his guard like that. Yevon only knows why this happened."

"Well, regardless of why, as long as he's unconscious, he's going to have to stay here," Althea said. "Unless you want to carry around dead weight."

"You have a point." The commander sighed. "All right, he stays here. When he's healed up and ready to go, send him back to Bevelle, but also send a message ahead to let us know when he's returning. Those of us who are strong enough are leaving in the morning."

Althea nodded. "Will do. What's his name, by the way?"

"Auron," the commander replied before going off to a different section of the courtyard.

* * *

Paine watched the sun set off in the distance. The group had decided to spend the day in Kilika, catching up with some of the villagers and generally enjoying the peace. Right now, the rest were at the inn in town, probably having more fun than she was. She was secluded in the hidden overlook in the jungle, merely reflecting. 

From her perch she could see little children playing with a blitzball, and people talking on the docks. She could also see people exiting the jungle through the main gate, usually walking with friends and family. She sighed, wondering why she couldn't allow herself to be like that. After all she'd been through with her friends, one would think that they'd be closer than ever before. But, with Tidus back, Yuna and Rikku seemed to be forming their own little group, putting a wedge between them. The distance there was unsettling, but Paine was used to it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a soft, male voice said from the entrance to the overlook. "The sunset, I mean."

Paine turned to see Baralai standing there, a small smile on his face. Their eyes met, but she quickly looked away, not wanting to know what would happen if she kept staring into those dark brown orbs. "Nothing special," she replied.

Baralai sat down beside her. He hated the distance between them, a distance that, two years ago, didn't even exist. The events with Shuyin and Vegnagun didn't help. "You make it sound like you've seen it many times before."

She focused her attention to the horizon. "I grew up here," she confessed. "When I was fifteen, I joined the Crusaders and left. I didn't come back until we came here looking for that awesome sphere. I'll admit; I didn't really miss it."

Her answer surprised him. Even when they were training to be members of the Crimson Squad, he'd never heard her mention her past. "Why not?"

"Bad memories," was all Paine said in reply.


	2. Convalescence Start

Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter, and for the fact that it's so short. I think I finished this chapter a while ago, but I didn't realize that the chapter was actually finished (if you follow me) until recently. I'm hoping that I won't make you guys wait this long for another chapter of this story again. And if I do, I apologize in advance. (September 19, 2005)

Disclaimer: See _Chapter One_.

Crimson Ties  
by Judanim

Chapter Two: _"Convalescence Start"_

Not long after the sun rose, the warrior monks did indeed leave Kilika. Almost every man was strong enough to leave on time. Althea's charge, Auron, was the only one left. For two days he remained unconscious. The only conclusion she could draw was either that he was in a coma, or the Killer Bee had hit him really hard.

On the third day, however, she walked into the monk's chambers where Auron was sleeping (no one on the island was willing to carry him all the way into town) to find that he was awake. He looked pretty tired for someone who'd just slept for two days straight. "Well, finally the sunshine has penetrated your brain," she said.

"Good morning to you, too," Auron answered, having no recollection about how he got here or who the woman was. "Tell me this isn't Bevelle, and that I wasn't introduced to you by a short little man in a tavern in an older section of town."

Althea raised an eyebrow. "This is Kilika, you're at the temple, and we met while you were unconscious. Enough of a remedy for you?"

The warrior monk sighed with relief. "It'll work." Slowly, his memory came back to him. He remembered dispatching a Ragora, then being hit by a bothersome wasp. "You must be a healer, then. How long have I been out?"

"Two days. Your unit left with everyone else the morning after the battle. You are to remain here until you're completely healed," Althea replied. "Commander's orders, not mine."

Auron sighed heavily. "I'll remind myself to kick him when I get the next chance. Confining me to Kilika when there's a city to protect. Who does he think he is?"

The white mage shook her head slightly, finding amusement in the warrior monk's arrogance. "Your commander," she answered. "Besides, you were in no condition to leave, and you still aren't."

He waved a dismissive hand. "I feel fine. You worry too much." Instinctively, his hand touched the back of his neck, where he remembered the Killer Bee hitting him. He visibly winced when he felt that the wound was still fresh, just barely scabbed over.

She grinned. "It's not in my job description to worry. The fact is, that wound isn't fully healed yet, and until it is, you're stuck here."

With those words, the warrior monk decided to give in. Was it just him or were most mages more stubborn than a Ronso maester? He knew there was a reason they didn't hire a lot of magic-users as warrior monks. After a few more moments, he realized he still was in his armor. He also realized he stunk to high heaven. "Ugh, don't tell me I slept like this."

Althea nodded. "For two days straight."

With a groan, Auron yanked off his helmet and tossed it aside. He wasn't sure whether the smell was worse with it off or on. "Thanks for letting me sleep in sweaty armor."

"While it would've been nice to have you not smell during your stay here, I wasn't exactly up to trying to relieve you of your clothes," Althea retorted. "Though that probably would make your dreams come true, wouldn't it?"

Before Auron could even begin to form a response, seeing how it was partly true (in his dream, he wouldn't have been unconscious), she grabbed his arm and pulled him off the bed. Soon after, she was pushing him out the door, through the temple courtyard, and down the steps leading to the Kilikan Jungle. At several points in time, he felt like he was going to fall on his face and roll down the stairs. "Hey, be careful! You could get me killed!"

"That'd be a tragedy," she muttered. Regardless, she continued to push him down until they reached the jungle. She took the left path that ran along the river's edge. With one forceful shove, Auron was in the water, armor and all. And the warrior monk hadn't even seen it coming.

He struggled to remain afloat with the heavy armor weighing him down. "Are you crazy?" he yelled. "You could've asked me first!"

Althea merely shrugged. "Where's the fun in that?" She started walking back towards the temple. "I'm gonna go get you some new clothes to wear. Since there's really not a whole lot of extra non-monk clothes sitting around the temple, I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Uh, thanks…I think." Auron watched her walk away. Boy, did she have some nerve. Most people wouldn't touch a warrior monk unless they'd known them for ten years or more. This woman had only officially known him for roughly ten _minutes_, and already she was throwing him into rivers. Well, at least she wasn't punching him at every turn.

He sat there bobbing in the river for a few more minutes, unsure of what to do. Finally he decided to climb back ashore and start attempting to get out of his armor. Bathing would be impossible if he was weighed down by twenty pounds of metal.

The white mage came back some ten minutes later to find Auron struggling to get off his chest plate. The water definitely had done a number on it. She leaned against a tree and watched him fail at least four times, before he finally managed to pull it off. The action somehow threw him backwards, and his chest plate in the opposite direction. She couldn't help a laugh as he was trying to sit up. "Found you some clothes," she said, giggling all the while.

Auron groaned. Of course, she had to see that, right? He sat all the way up and looked at her, wishing like hell she would stop laughing at him. "Do they pay you to embarrass people around here, or are you really a White Mage?"

Althea laughed a bit more, but quickly regained her composure under his gaze. "I really am a White Mage, but they certainly don't pay me. Yevon is nothing if not cheap. The villagers, however, do pay me, so that helps."

"Do they require a gag order along with your services?" he muttered.

"What was that?" Althea asked, holding a hand up to her ear.

"Nothing." Auron gave her an innocent smile before grabbing the clothes from her hand. He looked around the jungle area and then back at her. "So, are you going to watch me change, or am I entitled to some privacy?"

She sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in seeing you with your clothes off?" She grinned and headed towards the center of the jungle. "I'm gong to make sure no fiends come your way, considering you're defenseless and all."

The warrior monk stood dumbfounded for a moment before starting to bathe. Well, his stay on Kilika certainly was going to be interesting.

* * *

"Bad memories?" Baralai repeated. "Was growing up in Kilika that bad?" He smirked. "It couldn't be any worse than Bevelle."

"The location had very little to do with it," Paine said. "It's just the people here were so small-minded, and--" She stopped herself before allowing the emotion to control her.

Baralai's eyebrows furrowed. "Small-minded about what? What happened?"

The dark warrior waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing, forget it." She stood up and started to leave, her eyes never once meeting her friend's. "We should be heading back to town. I'm sure the others are getting worried."

He scrambled to his feet and grabbed her wrist before she could climb down. "Don't do this. Don't shut me out." Baralai tried to get Paine to look at him, but she kept avoiding his gaze. "It didn't used to be like this between us. There was a time when I could tell you anything, and you would do the same. Remember? Back in Bikanel, before the mission?"

With a resigned sigh, Paine turned back around to face him fully. His eyes were filled with a sincerity that she had rarely seen recently. "Yes, I remember."

"Can't we try to get back to that?" he asked. "I know we've both changed so much over two years, and being possessed by Shuyin and fighting each other didn't help, but it is worth a shot, don't you think?"

Paine felt a small smile find its way onto her face. Silently she went back to her seat on the edge of the treetop and indicated for him to join her. Baralai returned the smile and complied with her request. "So, what happened?"

She sighed, laughing a little. "Where to start?"

"The beginning would be good," Baralai replied.

A light smack on his shoulder told him to hush. "Don't rush or make fun of me, or I will use a Dark Knight skill on you," she warned.

Baralai silenced any smart-ass remarks, fully knowing the danger of the threat (considering she'd used a couple of those skills on him in Bevelle). "I apologize. I'll be good, I promise, because I know Darkness hurts me just as much as it hurts you."

"Actually, I was thinking some more like Break." Paine grinned before clearing her throat. "But, yes, what happened during my childhood." She let out a deep breath before continuing. "It started with some sort of huge fiend attack before I was born."


End file.
